Emergency circuit controller



Feb. 11, 1 936. J PARSONS 2,030,799

EMERGENCY. C IRCUIT CONTROLLER Filed May 9, 1954 im 9 14 (FOL-:5 13 :1 28 HI :1, 1 if "'1 T I 7 j J y ixwk Patented Feb. 11, 1936 UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE Application May 9, 1934, Serial No. 724,715

6 Claims.

This invention relates to electricity, especially to circuit controllers, and more particularly to a 1 son why they are enclosed and protected by a frangible member which may be broken or destroyed in order to obtain access to the circuit controller itself.

It is commonly necessary to restore an emergency circuit controller, after being operated, to 1 its normal inoperative condition before an opportunity is, afforded to replace the frangible member.

conditioned upon the replacement of the frangible member.

A principal object of applicants invention is to provide an emergency circuit controller, biased to one position, and enclosed in a space to which access may be had by destroying a frangible member, of such construction that the circuit controller is held normally out of its biased position by the action of the frangible member itself, and the circuit controller may be moved manually against its bias ,andheld in such position by a further device which is automatically rendered ineffective by the replacement of the frangible member after its destruction.

Other objects and advantages will appear as V the description of the particular physical embodiment selected to illustrate the invention progresses, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing the invention in detail and the particularphysical embodiment selected to illus- .trate the invention, reference Will be had to the. accompanying drawing and the several views thereon, in which like characters of reference designate like parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional View of an enclosed emergency circuit controller embodying applicants invention; Fig. 2 is a face view of the device as shown by Fig. 1, that is, as viewed from the left as shown in Fig. 1, with the front cover .removed; Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the device as shown by Fig. 1 on the plane as This causes a difficulty, in that the emergency circuit controller is not always properly indicated by the line III-III, viewed in the direction ofthe arrows at the ends of the line; Fig. 4 is a front elevational' view of the enclosing case of applicants invention.

Numeral l'designates any suitable support to 5 which anenclosing' casing for an emergency circuit controller may beattached, such as a vertical wall. In this case'applicant attaches his casing to the wall by means of attaching screws as 2.

Applicants enclosing casing may be of any suitable or appropriate form just so long as it includes anopening in one of the walls closed by a frangible member, such as 3, properly positioned to cooperate with the circuit controller. In the particular form of enclosing casing shown, there is a substantially hollow box 4 provided with a boss 5 on the top'thereof for the reception of a wire conduit 6 through which wires or conductors I and 8 pass into theinterior of the box or cas ing 4.

In the particular form of casing shown, applicant has made the entire front face 9 removable, it being, attached to the base 4 of the box by means of screws as It).

The front face 9 of the casing is provided with an opening II. This opening is closable by the frangible member 3. The frangible member 3 is held in place by screws, as l2, passing into the front face. 9 of the casing. In order to place a frangible member 3 in place, itis necessary to remove the front face of the box, place the frangible member 3 in place, and then replace the front face of the box. I

.The frangible member 3. not only completely covers theopening l I but also extends upwardly, as best shown in Fig. 1, so that it forms a rest for the arm 13. This arm 13 is attached to the two arm lever l4 pivoted at IS in the bracket l6 attached,,as by screws H, to an insulating body l8 which in turn is attached, as. by screws l9, to the, back wall of the casing 4. The two arm lever l4 also carries the contact finger 20.which is positioned to cooperate at, times with the contact terminal 2|, attached to the insulating block l8 as by screws 22. 45

The circuit to be controlled by the emergency switch is .a circuit formed through wire 1 which attaches to the wire clip 23 which is in turn fastened. electrically and mechanically to the bracket l6, as by a screw 24, so that the circuit is through the bracket to the pivot I5, the arm M, the contact finger 20 and so to contact terminal 2| when contact finger 20 is in contact therewith, to wire clip 25 to which the wire 8 is attached.

With the parts as shown in Fig. 1, the arm. I 3 is supported by the frangible member 3 and so the contactfinger is out of contact with the contact terminal 2| and so the circuit through .mal open condition. This is done in applicants device by reaching through the opening II with the hand or fingers and'forcing arm l3 upwardly whereupon it is latched by latch 28 pivoted at 29 to a bracket 30 supported by the case 4, as by screws as 3|. 'This latch 28 has a normal bias by reason of the spring .32 forcing it in the left hand direction, as shown in Fig. 1. When the frangible member 3 is broken and the arm i3 is raised, the latch 28 by means oflatch face 33 reaches underthe shoulder 34 of arm l3 when arm 13 has been pushed up sufficiently and so maintains arm l3 in the upper position with. the contact finger 20 out of contact with the contact terminal 2|.

If frangible member a could be replaced with out unlatching arm I3, the device wouldbe inoperative to perform its functions, thatis, would be inoperative to close the intended circuit upon the breaking of the frangible member 3. In

order to provide for this contingency, applicant provides a projection or horn 35 upon the latch 28 of such length and so positioned that it con-- tacts with the frangible member 3, so that when the frangible member 3 isin place the latch 28 is pushed to the right as shown in Fig. 1 so as to; unlatch arm l3 and cause it to be held by "the top of frangible member 3,

From the hereinbefore described-construction and mode of operation, it will be seen that ap plicant has provided a circuit controller for emergency use in an enclosed space, so arranged. that the breaking of the frangible member which normally holds the circuit controller against abias in normally open position will cause the circuit controller to be automatically closed, and

that the circuit controller may be .manually opened and maintained in the open position until such time as the frangible member is replaced whereupon the replacement of the frangible member will automatically release the circuit controller from its cooperation with the means which have been maintaining it in the normallyv open position so that it will then be in a position to function as before.

Although I have particularly described one particular physical embodiment of my invention and explained the operation, construction and principle thereof, nevertheless, I desire to have it understood that the form selected is merely illustrative, but does not exhaust, the possible physical embodiments of the idea of means underlying my invention. a

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

an arm whereby the controller may be moved and held againstits bias; walls forming'an enclosed space, one of' said walls provided with an opening; a frangible sheet covering said opening 1. In an emergency circuit controller, in combination: a biased circuit controller formed with and extending into the path of said arm whereby when the frangible sheet is in place the arm is held so as to hold the controller against its bias and whereby'when the frangible sheet is destroyed the controller assumes the biased position; and a member adapted to be set manually to hold the controller against the bias, in the absence of a frangible sheet, said member being automatically rendered inoperative with relation to said controller upon replacement of a frangible sheet.

2. In an emergency circuit controller, in combination: a biased circuit controller'formed with an arm whereby the controller may be moved and held against its bias; walls forming an enclosed space, one of said walls provided with an opening; a frangible sheet covering said opening and extending into the, path of said arm whereby when the frangible sheet is in place the arm is held so as to hold the controller against its bias and whereby when the frangible sheet is destroyed the controller assumes the biased position; a biased pivoted latch provided with a latching face and positioned to swing to biased position when the arm is manuallysuitably moved, said latch provided with a projection normally resting against said frangible member and of a length.

suchthat the latchingface is moved out of posi-' 1 tion to engage the arm.

3. In an emergency circuit controller, incom bination: circuit terminals; means for bridging said circuit-terminals, said means being normally open but biased'to closed position; means includplaced, after destruction, the third named means. are positioned to free'the first mentioned means,

4. In anemergency circuit controller, in combination: contact terminals; a member biased to bridge said terminals; a frangible member;

means cooperating with the frangible member to maintain the first named member out of biased position; a second means for maintaining the first named member out of biased position; andmeans cooperating with the frangible member for preventing the second named means from acting.

5. In an emergency circuit controller, in combination: a biased circuit controller; walls forming an enclosed space within which said biased circuit controller is mounted, one of; said walls.

having a removable part provided with anopen ing closed by a frangible sheet, and'a meansto controvert said bias and maintain said circuit controller in open-circuit position, said controverting means being adapted to be set in biascontro-verting position either automatically, by the presence of said'frangible sheet, or manually,

at will, by an operator readily in the absence of. removable wall part a 'bell-crank lever circuit-controlled being efiective in the absence of said frangible means; a swinging arm mounted in said enclosure and having a part adapted; to be engaged normally with said frangible means and a latch portion adapted to be engaged with said other arm of said bell-crank, serving when in latching engagement to controvert said bias and maintain said lever in open circuit position; a spring to bias said latch am against said frangible means when the latter is present, and toward latching engagement with said other arm in the absence of said frangible means, said other arm of the bell-crank-circuit-controller being accessible through said opening, in the absence of said frangible means, for manual operation to its biascontroverting position.

ROBERT J. PARSONS. 

